Deadpool (Wade Wilson) is a Marvel character who sought an experimental treatment for his cancer. This led to him receiving a healing factor from Wolverine which continuously regenerated his body, making him almost impossible to kill.
Deadpool received creative and brutal injuries throughout his movie and comic book appearances. With this in mind, you may wonder what would happen if he were injured in certain ways.
Could he survive an explosion or a decapitation? What would happen if he were cut in half from top to bottom?
Deadpool survived exploding and having his head cut off several times in the comics. No one knows for sure what would happen if he were divided in half vertically, but fans speculated both halves would regenerate, or only the half containing his heart.
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What Happens if Deadpool Explodes?
Deadpool survived various explosions throughout his time in the comics. Though they injure him or even kill him, his healing factor regenerates him, allowing Deadpool to recover from the blast.
This is true even in the case of nuclear explosions. Though these can leave him obliterated, his healing factor can restore him from as little as a single body cell.
Though his brain is an important part of being able to regenerate, there have been suggestions that he can do so without it.
For example, in the comic Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe, Invisible Woman causes Deadpool’s head to explode in a confrontation.
Such an injury would have destroyed his brain and prevented the healing factor from kicking in, but this was not the case.
If he can survive such an injury originating within his head, then it should be pretty easy for him to survive most other types of explosions.
The exception to this rule is the bomb Deadpool’s daughter created in Deadpool: The End. This bomb was designed to vaporize him and his daughter, then become a black hole to consume any remaining body cells.
Deadpool did not survive this explosion, and he and his daughter reunited in the afterlife.
What Happens if Deadpool is Cut in Half Vertically?
Many fans asked this question, but a definitive answer has not yet been given.
More than once, we’ve seen Deadpool cut in half horizontally–his legs severed, or his lower half separated from his upper half. He seems to quickly regenerate from these types of injuries.
But getting cut in half vertically is a different story.
Some fans speculated that, if he were divided equally in half, he could regenerate to become two fully-formed Deadpools.
Others suggest that the half containing his heart would be the one to regenerate. This theory doesn’t hold much water, though, since it seems to be his brain, and not his heart, that enables his healing factor.
Still other fans conclude that the two halves of his brain, if not the entire body, would have to be sewn back together for his healing factor to take effect. In other words, if he were split in half, he wouldn’t regenerate unless he were put back together first.
All things considered, Deadpool can regenerate from a single body cell. So it makes sense that if he were divided in half, he would come back to life as two versions of himself.
That said, the same does not apply when he is incinerated or exploded–a single Deadpool regenerates from the carnage, not one for every body cell that was destroyed.
What’s more, when he has a limb severed, this limb doesn’t grow into another version of him (with one notable exception).
So we really don’t know what would happen if he were divided in half.
Can Deadpool Survive Without His Head?
Deadpool has been decapitated on more than one occasion. Though Wolverine stated he would survive for about 12 minutes without his head, some comics have shown that his healing factor is powerful enough to regrow his head.
This argues against the idea he needs his brain to activate the healing factor, but we still don’t know for sure what causes it to kick in.
Other times, he regenerated after having his head sewn back on, but this may have been an unnecessary precaution. As mentioned above, he survived having his head exploded by Invisible Woman’s powers.
Another time, he survived after the Hulk knocked off his head, obliterating it as though it exploded.
Finally, in an alternate reality, Deadpool’s head survived in zombie form after being severed from his body. Because he was a zombie, his healing factor was unable to regrow his body. Still, despite being a zombie, the head survived.
This version of Deadpool was known as Headpool.
All of these examples suggest that, yes, Deadpool can survive without his head–even though he technically needs his brain to regenerate.
Conclusion
There’s no question that Deadpool is a resilient character in the Marvel Universe. He has been known to survive any number of would-be deadly encounters–including explosions, loss of limbs, and even decapitation.
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.